For years, I loved amazon without really thinking about it. Living out here in Germany, it's invaluable, I teeter in and out of being a Top 1000 reviewer there and I've recently acquired a Kindle.But there is another view of amazon that I'm becoming increasingly aware of - as the big, bullying monopoly that's killing off real bookshops - especially the cute quirky little independent ones. (By the way, the pic is of Ripping Yarns in Highgate. Never been there, but I must!)
In this article from the Huffington Post, there's some super thinking about what those independent bookshops can do. And it boils down to using your competitive advantage.
Rule 1: Don't play amazon on price - you'll lose
Rule 2: You're local - use it. Be something in the community.
Rule 3: You're real, bricks and mortar - use it. What events could you hold in your store?
Rule 4: You're staffed by human beings who love books, not driven by algorithms - use it!
Let's hope that these Davids fight back and don't go the way of record stores.
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2 comments:
Yes, the Huffingtons have it about right. There are some stunning independent bookshops in the UK, and mostly they're surviving by playing to their strengths. Some of my favourites: Jaffé and Neil, Chipping Norton; Much Ado Books, Alfriston; Topping and Company, Bath and Ely; Daunt Books, London.
Thanks for the tips - must look some of them up next time I'm over in Blighty! It's interesting that in Germany there are far more independent bookshops - we have 2 plus an antiquarian bookshop here in our little town of approx. 20,000 inhabitants.
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